Recently, Professor Ying Huang and Associate Researcher Meng Zong from the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering have made new progress in the field of flexible ultra-broadband absorbing materials. The team proposed a novel method for preparing flexible and repairable ultra-broadband electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorbing materials via a liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) strategy. This research provides a universal solution for the design of next-generation flexible electromagnetic materials and holds broad application prospects in fields such as wearable electronics and military stealth. The research findings has been published online in the international journal Advanced Materials (2025, 10139) under the title "A Flexible and Repairable Ultra-Broadband Electromagnetic Wave Absorber by Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation Strategy."

With the rapid development of biomedical and flexible electronic devices, the demand for high-performance electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorbing materials is becoming increasingly urgent. Traditional absorbing materials rely on complex micro/nano structures or harsh preparation processes to achieve a balance between impedance matching and attenuation. However, they generally suffer from poor flexibility and irreversibility—if damaged, their absorption performance degrades irreversibly. Developing materials that combine ultra-broadband absorption, mechanical flexibility, and self-repair capabilities has become a core challenge in this field.

The research team developed a new method using a liquid-liquid phase separation strategy to create flexible and repairable ultra-broadband EMW absorbing materials. By photo-polymerizing N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) in ionic liquids, they achieved a microphase structure within the polymer network rich in conductive nanochannels and numerous polymer chain/ionic liquid heterogeneous interfaces. This effectively balances impedance matching and attenuation, realizing ultra-broadband EMW absorption from 5 to 40 GHz. Simultaneously, the broadband absorber exhibits high transparency (≈85%), high toughness (tensile strength ≈8.2 MPa, fracture energy ≈774 kJ m⁻²), and stretchability (≈900% strain), with a microwave absorption performance repair rate as high as 97%.